An Academy Meant For Fairies
by Moldy-Cranberry
Summary: The Magic Council has finally had enough of Fairy Tail's antics, so they come up with a plan to teach them a lesson and recreate Fiore's top Guild. Please R&R  :
1. The Magic Council

Hey guys, this is my first story posted on fanfiction! Tell me what you think in a review, constructive criticism is welcome [:

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I don't own Fairy Tail. Kudos goes to Hiro Mashima.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

A dull light crept through the underneath of a curtain; pooling into the dark room. Sounds of shuffling could be heard as a young celestial mage sat up in her bed and opened the window so she could see. Outside, dark clouds hung over Magnolia and threatened to fall from the sky.

With a sigh, Lucy let her feet dangle over the edge of her bed as she blinked the sleep away and glanced wearily at the calendar across the room. Today was the beginning of the end for the members of Fairy Tail, and there was no avoiding it. After the whole S Class Promotion festivity, the Magic Council decided that something needed to be done about the antics of Magnolia's mages. Disbanding the Guild was out of the question, since they were one of the few obstacles protecting Fiore from being overrun by Dark Guilds. Making them pay fines seemed to be having no results and assigning a new, more responsible Master was currently impossible after the Laxus incident. There was only one option left, and no matter how horrible it was, they had no choice but to go through with it.

The blonde made her way across the cold floor and stopped before her door. She reached for an outfit hanging on top of it and groaned as she walked off to the bathroom. She hesitantly looked into the mirror to observe what damage had been done from the night before. The Guild had thrown a party for their last day of freedom, which meant a lot of drinking, letting loose with friends, drinking, fighting, drinking some more, and passing out on the floor until someone landed on you due to another drunken fight.

The mage's hair was a tangled mess and sleep still lingered in her russet brown eyes. Her lips were still swollen from all the alcohol, which had also blessed her with a hangover. She was covered with bruises due to being a landing pad for an intoxicated Elfman; the idiot was punched out by Gray and Natsu for disturbing their brawl with a speech about what being a man is. She simply shrugged and turned away from the mirror to continue get ready. _That's just how they show their affection for each other, I guess. _

As she pulled on the clothing, she thought back on the day when the Council made a visit to Fairy Tail. It had only been a week since Natsu and the others had returned from Tenrou Island and everyone just wanted to relax. They were still adjusting to the fact that 7 years had gone by when Master Makarov announced that the Council would be visiting. When they arrived at the Guild, nobody knew what to expect; all they knew was that it wasn't going to be a friendly reunion.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

_A tall man walked onto the stage and looked at the gathered Guild members. He stood there in silence for a few moments; as if he were unsure of what to say. All the mages looked confused as he looked down awkwardly at the podium. He couldn't blame them for not recognizing him, seeing he had aged seven years while they were frozen in time. Maybe it was better that they didn't, he wasn't sure if he had even been forgiven. "We've all been through a lot, these seven years," He began slowly. "From the return of Zeref, to the fall of Grimiore Heart, and of course, the time gap of some of the members in Fairy Tail, itself." Everyone sat quietly as he spoke; the conversation was still painful to hear. "However, that's not what we're here to discuss."_

_ The atmosphere seemed to change as he looked more seriously at the Guild. "This Guild has been the most problematic we've ever dealt with. We receive over ten pages full of complaints each month due to destruction caused by this Guild alone." Some laughs could be heard around the Guild Hall as the man began listing some of the complaints the Council had received. "We've tried cooperating with you and have been lenient in the past."_

_ "Lenient, huh," Lucy looked over at Natsu, remembering when they took Erza to trial. Even if it was just a formality, it still caused them a lot of trouble._

_He pulled out a light pen and began writing in the air for everyone to see. He spoke as he did this, "There's one final option left before we take more drastic measures…"_

_ "Sending someone in during the S Class Promotion Test to pose as one of our members by brainwashing us wasn't drastic?" Natsu muttered back to his partner._

_ Once he finished writing, everyone stared in awe. The words spelt out 'Fairy Tail Academy' in iridescent letters. "This is your last chance, Fairy Tail. Everyone in this Guild is required to take a year off S ranked and above missions and return to school to learn how to properly use magic."_

_ Mumbles began to fill the hall and people began to protest. "There's not even a school in Magnolia! The closet one is in Harujion." Gray Shouted._

_ "That's right, what about our regular missions?" Gajeel questioned, sounding pissed that they would even put that as an option._

_ "That's enough." Makarov walked onto the stage before people started throwing chairs. The entire Guild became hushed as they listened to the Master. "This is for the good of the Guild. Think of this as an opportunity to become stronger and reclaim our title as number one. This could show the other Guilds that we could beat them any day, and we are not to be looked down upon." He pointed with his left hand to the sky, "This is our path, not only as a Guild, but as a family. One year's worth of education isn't going to kill any of you. Now-"_

_ "Um, sir," The Council member motioned for the Guild Master. Makarov looked up to him to hear out what he had to say. "You'll also… Be attending the Academy." Makarov's face had drained of any color when he heard that. "As for your comments," He turned back to everyone, ignoring the fact that the Master was crying like a baby behind him. "We began setting up the Academy on the edge of town when we heard of your return, and it will be done in about two or three weeks. The in class hours will be from 6 in the morning, to two in the afternoon, leaving you time to do shorter missions during week days. Saturday and Sunday will be your days off and vacation times will be given during your holidays and festivals." A grin painted onto the man's face as he concluded his speech. "Anyone who doesn't attend the Academy will receive punishment, courtesy of Master Bob."_

_ No one dared to protest anymore. Just the thought of being punished by Master Bob, the cross-dressing, man crazy leader of Blue Pegasus, was enough to shut them up. As the meeting was dismissed, everyone sat in utter silence, taking in what they had just been told._

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Once she was finished getting ready, she went to the living room to grab her bag and keys. Letting out one more drawn-out sigh, the stellar mage locked the door behind her and began to walk down Strawberry Street. _Maybe going to school will be a little fun. _Lucy thought as she twirled her keys around her finger. She had never been to school, since her father had always made her care takers tutor her.

As she walked along the river wall, some fishermen warned her to be careful. When she waved off their comment, a low rumble filled the air. Just as she looked up, it began to rain. She stated to jog to the Academy, which, with her luck, happened to be on the other side of Magnolia. "Just great, Lucy. Fucking great." She cursed as the rain became heavier.


	2. Fate Brings Us Together?

Sorry this took so long to update x.x between midterms and practice I'd get 20 minutes tops to sit down and actually get some writing done. This chapter is just to explain what's actually going on, but I tried to make it as interesting as possible so please enjoy :D

This is the first story I've ever done on Fan fiction, so please R&R! Constructive Criticism is always welcome [:

**Disclaimer: **We all wish we owned Fairy Tail, but alas, it belongs to Hiro Mashima.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Lucy's pace slowly came to a halt as the Academy came into view through the heavy sheets of rain. She squinted to be sure what she was seeing was actually there, and not just a hallucination left over from all the booze. Before her, a large brick building with towers loomed over the outskirts of Magnolia; casting a dark shadow over its surroundings. _The hell is this... _She scoffed as she continued walking.

Within the building, everything was bustling with energy as countless mages gathered together for their studies. The Stellar mage pushed through the heavy duel entryway and gaped when she saw inside. Forgetting about being soaking wet, the corners of her lips curved up as she began blindly walking through the corridors. On the ceilings hung brightly glowing lacrima chandleries and the floors were paved with decorative tiles which gave the building a character of its own. She reached the front office and noticed the Fairy Tail symbol printed onto the floor with brilliant colors.

"So this is what a school looks like," She mumbled to herself. As she continued walking about, something caught her eye. Curiosity consumed the teen as she approached a long stretch of what seemed to be filing cabinets. "Amazing…" Cautious fingers gently ran along the vent of a locker, wondering what their purpose was. Too entranced by her new surroundings, Lucy paid no mind to the people trying to get her attention, until—

"Damn it, you asshole," An oddly familiar voice roared. Lucy cocked her head up to the side just in time to see a rosette haired moron flying straight at her.

Before she knew it; the Salamander face-planted into the locker next to her. Everything seemed to go quiet for a moment as he tried to regain his composure- if he had any to begin with. "I'm gonna fucking kill you…" The Dragon Slayer sat up while holding his head in his hands. It was difficult to tell if he was in pain from the concussion he probably just got or a lingering hangover.

"What'd you just say, fry-pan?" Gray stormed over towards him, and surprisingly enough, he looked pissed.

"You heard me, brain-freeze!" Natsu growled back as he got back on his feet. Oblivious to the sudden change of atmosphere, the two boys made their moves simultaneously.

_"Ice Make—"_

_ "Fire Dragon's—"_

"It seems like fate draws us all together once again," An authoritative voice bellowed from the end of the hall. The two brawling teens stopped in their tracks and hesitantly turned to face a very unimpressed Titania. "Is this how friends treat each other?"

Gray threw his arm around Natsu with a forced grin on his face. "W-we were just showing each other our new moves…" Natsu shook his head in agreement, too afraid to say anything.

"Oh, Erza," Lucy waved at her teammate to grab her attention.

Erza approached the blonde with a small smile on her face- at least there's one sane person here. "Did you go swimming? You're drenched." She pointed out rather bluntly.

"I hope you're being sarcastic," _I have a strange feeling that you're serious, though. _"Are there any extra uniforms?" She twisted the bottom of her vest to get some of the water out.

"There should be some in the office," She turned her attention back to the others. "Gray, Natsu," They looked up at her, still frozen in their fighting stances. She crossed her arms over her chest; making her seem like she was scolding a small child. "If you don't stop screwing around, I'll be forced to personally bring you to the Head Master." The redhead motioned for Lucy to follow her.

The two girls continued their way to office, leaving Natsu and Gray standing there in awkward silence. "Head Master?" Natsu scratched his head in confusion.

"It's the person in charge of the school—"

"I know that, idiot." Just how little did Gray take him for?

"_Sorry, _I wasn't sure of your level of stupidity." Sarcasm poisoned his voice. "But, those uniforms are pretty nice, huh?" The ice mage teasingly nudged Natsu in the shoulder; forgetting that they were just trying to kill each other.

He swatted him off like he was a mosquito. "What, you mean the colors? Red would have been a better choice."

"Wait… What? No, you ash-for-brain, the skirts!" _Who cares about the color?_

Natsu pondered this for a second, obviously not understanding what Gray was getting at. "The girls in our Guild wear skirts all the time, nothing new." He had a point; the ladies of Fairy Tail weren't exactly known for being modest dressers. "I've gotten so used to it that it's abnormal to see them completely covered. I've seen Lucy in less, anyway_._" It's not like he tried to sneak in her window while she was changing. He shivered at the memory of being kicked in the face by his temperamental teammate.

"You have…?" He gawked at his comrade's casual expression.

"You haven't?" He replied with a grin on his face. "She must like me better than you." _Wow that felt a little weird to say…_

"No way, you're obviously bluffing." He shook his head. There was no way this air head was more popular than him; at least, he hoped so.

"Why would I bluff about that? It's not really a big deal. Don't most guys see a girl in their underwear at this age?" He asked completely seriously.

Gray tried to comprehend what the Dragon Slayer was saying. "I don't think I even want to know." _Stop painting pictures in my head. _"Seriously though, you don't have any opinion on the skirts? And you call yourself a man." He mimicked Elfman as he tried to go back to the original subject.

"I don't see why you're obsessing over them. Is it because you want to wear one?" He laughed half-heartedly at his friend. "That's sick, man. Though, you'd probably end up taking it off like you do the rest of your clothes."

"Damn it, that's not true! You're such an ass." _Jesus Christ, quit ticking me off._

"Rather be an ass than a stripper."

"That nickname is getting old, think of something more creative if you're trying to piss me off." The Ice Mage smiled; feeling as though he won the fight.

"Whatever, I'm going to see what class I'm in." He began to walk down the hall. "Wait, Gray."

"What now?" He seemed irritated, not that Natsu particularly cared.

"Put your shirt back on; you're disturbing the peace."

He looked down, and of course his shirt was chilling by his feet. "What the hell?"

Natsu wasn't sure why, but for some reason he felt like going back to sleep for the next week. "This sucks…" He grumbled as he sluggishly made his way to the class board.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

"Here," Erza handed the shivering girl a dry uniform. Who knew soaking wet clothes were so cold?

"Thanks," She took it and made her way to the backroom. Erza leaned against the wall and waited. "Oh, thank god," Lucy sighed in relief as she took off her wet shoes. She tossed them to the floor; making a sloshing noise.

"Hey, Lucy," Erza called through the door. "What class are you in?"

She began to pull on a light blue skirt as she spoke. "Not sure, I haven't been able to check yet. Hopefully we're all in the same class; I'd hate to be stuck with only people I've never worked with before."

"True. It would make any group work more efficient if you know you're partners well." She nodded in agreement.

She heard the door open and turned to see Lucy pulling a beige vest over her white t-shirt. "The council really went all out with this, didn't they? These uniforms are really nice." She looked over at her superior. "Why is yours different?" Lucy pointed at Erza's uniform which had a violet jacket in place of the vest. Wait, was she wearing glasses?

A smile graced her face as she looked her seriously in the eyes. "Because… I'm the class president." Pride filled her voice as she said this. The Celestial Mage stood there in awe; unsure of her upperclassmen's sanity.

_I-I see… _"Congratulations! Oh," She quickly looked over at the clock. "I should probably get going if I'm going to have time to check the class board."

Erza made her way to the door and waved for Lucy to follow her. "Then I'll go with you. There's not much to do in the morning." Lucy smiled as she walked along side her. They stayed in silence; content with the atmosphere around them.

A goofy grin painted on Lucy's face as they walked down the hallway. This brought her back to her childhood while living in the mansion before her mother passed. "Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Erza's words shattered the silence like one of her swords.

She suddenly snapped out of her trance- perhaps by a minor heart attack. Lucy pretended to not have just been scared shitless and glanced over at the girl beside her. "Huh?"

"This school… It's different than I thought one would be like." _It's kind of weird, if you ask me._ She turned to face her. "You haven't been to one either, right?"

She looked down, remembering when Erza told everyone about her past. Now that she thought about it, everyone here seems to have a dark past. "To be honest, I was pretty nervous when we found out about the Academy. New things always scare me…"

"Same here," The redhead chuckled with embarrassment. "I didn't get much sleep last night; because I had to make sure my uniform re-quip was in perfect condition." She admitted with a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

Lucy giggled at her friend's confession. "All I could do was hide mine and pray Happy wouldn't find it and use it as a play-toy. Of course he did though, and I had to spend an entire afternoon sewing it back together with Natsu constantly whining at me that he was bored." She let out a drawn-out sigh. She wasn't sure why Natsu and Happy enjoyed making her life difficult, but it didn't bother her in the least. If anything, they made life more bearable and- _Wait, what the fuck? What the hell am I thinking…? _She slapped her hand on her forehead to try to get the thought out of her head.

"That's just how they show their affection, I suppose." Erza shook her head.

"I guess," She pondered this for a moment and forgot she was in the middle of a conversation.

"Still, I can't believe we're here. After all these years passing by without us knowing it; it's funny how things work out." Erza added after a few minutes.

"I know… I'm not sure what's going to happen from here, but…" She looked out a window to see the rain sliding down the window in little streaks. "It's going to be fun, with everyone together like this. We really are just one big family, aren't we?"

"Yeah…" They continued to walk in silence.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

A crowd gathered around a bulletin board with several sheets of paper pinned to. Each paper represented a class and the names on it were the students attending it. While some people were overjoyed by their class, others wanted to crawl into a hole and die. "Excuse me. Pardon us. Ugh, move, damn it!" Erza yelled as she head-butted people out of her way. Once the two girls reached the front, they began frantically searching for Lucy's name.

"Um…" The blonde scanned the board. "Ah, there it is!" She pointed at the third list of names. "It says I'm in room 207." She looked over at Erza for reassurance.

Erza nodded in satisfaction. "It seems we'll be classmates, then."

"Thank goodness," Lucy sighed with relief. "Who else is in our class?" She looked back at the board. "Cana, Elfman, Erza, Evergreen, Happy, Levy, me, Makarov, Macau, Natsu…" _That seems about right. Shit, wait…_ She looked over the board again. "Oh no,"

"What is it?" Ezra looked worryingly at her.

"Gray isn't in our class." She pointed at the list where Gray's name should have been. It'll be nice not to have him and Natsu beat the shit out of each other over a pencil, but where's the fun in not having the entire team?

"This is bad," Titania tapped her chin. "We should use force to get him in our group."

"That's a terrible idea…" Lucy waved away the comment.

"W-what is this…?" Someone mumbled behind them. They turned around to see a pale-faced Ice Mage gawking at the paper with his name on it. "I'm stuck with…" He pointed a shaky finger at the paper next to theirs. "With…"

"Spit it out, before I get annoyed." Erza glared at him.

"Ah, Gray-sama~!" Juvia ran to where they were standing. Lucy felt tempted to ask her to make the rain stop, but then decided against it. "We'll be attending the same class," She fidgeted with embarrassment. "Please, take care of Juvia…" The Water Mage's face flushed with pink as usual when she looked at her crush.

"Christ," He covered his face with his palm. This was too much, even for Gray; which was saying a lot.

"I think it'll be fine." Lucy smiled at him.

He let out a sigh and walked away mumbling, "I don't think I can look at you right now, Lucy." For some reason, he sounded extremely disturbed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She pouted.

"Juvia thinks it means that you should give up on Gray-sama…" _He's going to be with Juvia from now on, my rival in love._

_Give up on what…? _She could already tell this was going to be a long day, as usual.

"Enough small chat, we need to get to class," She pulled on Lucy's arm and turned to face the rest of the Guild. "You should all do the same, before the Head Master gets angry." Everyone scurried away from the board to get to their rooms. Lucy wasn't sure why, but they seemed like they had just seen Acnologia.

"Who _is _the Head Master?" Lucy called to Erza as they ran down the hallway.

She stopped in her tracks and hung her head. "You don't know?"

Lucy tried to catch her breath as she looked up at her "N-no?"

Erza took a moment to choose her words before she spoke. "The Council needed to find someone who had the free time and power to take on the roll of the Head Master, so other Guild Masters weren't a possibility." She tightened her grip on Lucy's wrist.

"Erza…" This was starting to freak her out, which she could honestly do without.

"The only other option was to find a high level mage, so they…" She glanced around to see if anyone was following them. Erza leaned over to Lucy and whispered something quietly.

"Eh?" She stared at the distraught mage next to her. "EHHHH?"

She nodded slightly and continued walking. "That's why, no matter what, even if it costs us our lives, we can't get in any trouble."

"Right." Lucy felt determination building inside of her.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

In room 207, everyone walked around to see who they'd be spending the year with; well, other than Makarov. "This is madness." The short man grunted as he tried to get into his seat. He was going to kill whatever dumbass proposed this idea; he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, for crying out loud! "Damn it, these chairs are huge!" The Master shouted while kicking it across the room; obviously finding any reason he could to complain.

The desk hit Elfman directly in the head while he was in the middle of a lecture about men. "Whoever did that isn't a man!" He picked up the desk and threw it at Wakaba. Everyone could tell this was going to be just like a bar fight back at the Guild; excluding the alcohol.

"You wanna go?" He put out his cigarette.

"Real men use fists, not desks!" Elfman charged at him. The smoke user instantly dodged his attacker; forcing Elfman to run face first into a wall.

"People these days…" Cana pulled out her cards, clearly not amused.

"You're all so annoying. Just shut up and sit down!" Macau barked as he prepared a spell.

"Knock it off." Natsu snapped as he leaned back in his chair. "You're just gonna piss off the Head Master, ya' know?"

"Pretty weird coming from you," Levy mumbled from her book. "Usually you're the one who starts these things."

Everyone looked over at the bookworm. _She's right. _They all stared at the fire mage in confusion. This was new- Natsu didn't want to fight. What next, he'll think summer is too hot?

Suddenly the door opened and everyone turned their attention over to Erza and Lucy. "Ah! Lu-chan, Erza," Levy waved over at them.

Natsu raised his head for a moment before looking down at his desk again. It was a strange sight to see him completely quiet.

"Natsu…" Happy whispered.

"It's nothing." He replied nonchalantly.

The girls walked over to Levy "Looks like luck is on our side!" Lucy put an arm around her shoulders.

"Nice to see another friendly face," Erza acted as though she only knew a few people in the Guild. "What happened in here?" She put her hands on her hips as she observed the over-turned desks. Nobody was expecting to have the Titania in their class, so they hadn't exactly used their best behavior.

"N-nothin'," Elfman scurried to pick up some of the discarded seats. Lucy shook her head and sat down beside the blue-haired mage. She was too tired to deal with this anymore, plus she still had her rent to worry about.

"Alright, everyone, take a seat that _isn't _knocked over." A stocky woman called from the front of the room. She resembled Mirajane- if she gained forty pounds and shrunk a foot. She had a messy red mane for hair and her face was covered with stress wrinkles. Okay, maybe she didn't look so much like Mira. "Let's get class started." Everyone obediently returned to their seats, which was surprising to say the least. The woman tuned to the chalk board and began to write on it as she spoke to her new class. "My name is Mrs. Mann and I'll be your instructor over this next year-"

"Pfft." Makarov covered his mouth to try to keep from laughing. Lucy covered her face with her palm, knowing that this wasn't going to end well.

"Is something funny, Mr. Makarov?" Mrs. Mann turned to look at the babbling idiot in the front row. It looks like she got the good class.

"Of course not," Elfman butted in, "There's nothing funny about being a man."

"Excuse me?" She felt her temper reaching her limit and it was only 6:05. Everyone could feel the tension growing in the air.

"Elfman, be quiet. Let the man talk so we can get class started." Erza raised her hand to get her teacher's attention. "Please continue, sir."

"Erza, _she's_ not a man." Lucy mouthed to the girl beside her. Sometimes, Lucy felt like she was the only sane one in this Guild.

"Oh," She bowed her head to cover her reddening face. "I apologize for my outburst."

Mrs. Mann turned back to the board. "The purpose of this school is to teach you how to properly use your magic," she let out a huff as she began writing with some chalk. "But, I refuse to pass anyone who lacks manners, or common sense for that matter. That means, when someone says 'Mrs.', they're a woman, so don't think otherwise." It almost felt like she was teaching kindergarten, but everyone in the class was the kid who sits in the corner and eats paste. Wonderful, fucking wonderful.

Natsu raised his hand, "I thought it just meant someone was married, whether they're a man or a woman."

"Bahahahahaha!" Makarov lost any control he had over is laughter and fell out of his seat. "Who would marry someone with the last name Mann? Does that mean your husband is Mr. Mann?"

"I think that's a wonderful name." Elfman interjected once again. He felt as though everyone she be named Mann. _Elfman Mann. Elfman the Mann. _He recited his name in his head.

"Ugh, shut up, Elfman. No one cares about your obsession with men." Cana snapped at the talkative bone-head behind her. What she wouldn't do for a beer right now. Scratch that, she'd do anything for a beer; being sober sucked.

"Shhh, Cana. Maybe he's into guys; leave him be." Macao hushed.

"You bastard—"

"God damn it!" Mrs. Mann yelled at her students. "If you don't stop talking, I'm going to fail you all so you have to take another year of school." The room fell silent as she tried to calm her nerves. "Your first assignment is going to be an essay." Everyone looked around; unsure of what an 'essay' was. She let out a sigh and explained, "It's when you write about a subject to answer a question that has been provided." They all nodded as she continued. She stepped to the side to show what she had written on the board- not like they couldn't see over her anyways. "Each class has their own topic. Our question is; 'What makes a strong team?'. You'll being working in groups of two. This is to have you practice working together in a non-combat environment and better your understanding of teamwork."

Lucy quickly raised her hand. "Are we allowed to pick our partners?" _For the love of God, say yes!_

Mrs. Mann smiled slyly at this comment. "Perhaps if a bunch of morons hadn't been so rude as to call me a man I would have. Instead, we'll be using this to choose." She walked over to Makarov and pulled off his hat.

"Hey, wha-" He tried to grab his hat back.

The teacher began ripping names off of the attendance list and folding them up before putting them into Makarov's hat. "Alrighty," She reached into the hat and pulled out two slips. "Cana Alberona and Makarov."

"Wonderful…" The fortune teller grumbled; looks like she'd be doing all the work.

"I heard that." Makarov turned to glare at his underling.

"Macao Combolt and Wakaba Mine."

The two men glared at each other, "As if," They scoffed simultaneously. "Don't copy me, jackass!"

Mrs. Mann coughed; making them cease their nagging. "Moving on," She pulled out a couple more paper slips. "Happy and Elfman."

"Ehhhh?" Happy pouted at Natsu.

"Even a cat can be a man if he tries." No one bothered to tell him to shut up; all their efforts would be in vain.

"Evergreen and Levi Macgarden."

"Sorry, Lu-chan…" She mumbled after hearing her name.

She reached into the bag once again. "Oh, there are only three slips left; Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel will be a trio." She tossed the hat back to Makarov.

"That group sounds a little dangerous…" Evergreen shook her head.

The stocky woman began going over the requirements for the project; not that anyone was listening. "Lastly, an assembly will be held for all the groups to read their reports out loud this Friday. Anyone who skips out on the assembly or doesn't complete the essay in time will be required to take summer classes." That got their attention.

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Whined the Exceed.

"I'm sorry, but the rules are the rules." She shrugged. "Now, get in your groups and start planning-"

"WAAAAAIIIIIT!" The door flung off of its hinges as a short figure slid into the room before tripping.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" Mrs. Mann screamed, obviously regretting taking this teaching job. "Oh, Head Master, my apologies,"

"I need Erza Scarlett," The bulky man got back onto his feet. "Oh, my honey~!" He swooned when he caught sight of her.

"Ichiya…" The redhead backed away.

"The school board is lacking staff at the moment, so we need you as a temporary replacement, men~." He inched his way closer.

"W-w-wouldn't Master be better?" She pointed at Makarov who looked like he was off in Lala Land.

"Don't put this on me." Makarov chimed as he scribbled with crayons.

"Master," Titania pleaded. "You'd be able to get the work done more efficiently." _Or not…_

"Now, don't worry, my love. The work won't be too difficult." He took her hand. God, this had to be the best moment of his life.

Erza pulled from his grip and ran through the doorway shouting something along the lines of 'Fuck off'.

The room fell silent as Ichiya pranced away. After sitting in awkward silence for a few minutes, Mrs. Mann cleared her throat and began to speak. "Well, I guess Erza's out of the question. Natsu, Lucy, you'll be a group of two now." She picked up her things and waddled towards the doorway. "I'll go find someone to fix the door; try not to kill each other while I'm gone." With that, everyone started to get into their groups.

Lucy took the seat beside Natsu and pulled out her light pen to take notes. "Alright, how should we start this?" She looked over at him after he didn't bother replying. He was resting his head in the palm of his hand and staring at the window; a blank expression hid any thoughts he could possibly have. She had only seen him like this once before, and honestly, it was a little scary. "Don't ignore me you idiot!' She smacked him upside the head.

"Jesus, Luce! That… hurt..." He lost his words as he turned to face her. The way she was looking at him was unsettling; making him unsure of how he should respond. Her brown eyes looked at him playfully and a large smile was plastered to her face. He couldn't help but let out a stifled laugh at his friend's childish expression, she really was something else. "So, what were you sayin'?"

Lucy leaned forward and began writing in the air. He noticed she was using the pen he had gotten her for her birthday; he liked it because it was the same pink as his hair. "I was thinking we should start out with a rough draft to get the main idea. Then, we could add details to make it more interesting." She went on to talk about the importance of spell checking and what-not.

"Hmm?" He squinted at her writing. "Your handwriting sucks almost as bad as Mira's."

The blonde shot him a death glare, taking a great deal of offence. "You do it then," She grabbed his hand, which caught him off guard. Lucy placed the pen between his fingers and sat back. He looked at her for a moment in awkward silence. "Well, write." She waved at him to go.

"Riiight…" He began adding his own scribbles next to hers. _God damn it, what's wrong with me? _Natsu cursed to himself.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Sorry if Natsu seems OOC, he's not the easiest character to use in a romance story, lol.

The school uniforms are the same as in the Fairy Tail OVA's and the Academy is actually based off of Stadium High School (If you haven't seen it, you should look it up!). I first saw this school in the movie "Ten Reasons Why I Hate You" and I loved it [:

Thank you who are bearing with me even though I'm still a beginner, I hope to keep continuing this story ^^


	3. Stale Cereal

I'm so sorry this took so long! High school has been a difficult transition for me, but I finally got the hang of things. Somehow, I ended up forgetting I even had a FF account and never updated this, even though this has been sitting in my folder for ages. Thanks to you guys who have been putting up with me even though I'm new to this. C: I promise not to be such a slow-poke next time… ^^'

Please leave a review, it'd be much appreciated! Constructive criticism is always welcome~

**Disclaimer: **For some strange reason, my mother didn't name me Hiro Mashima. I'm not sure why; it's a great name.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

Shuffling papers and the constant tapping of a pen could be heard throughout the entire apartment. Lucy was plopped on living room floor, hunched over dozens of musty old books that reeked of mildew and decomposing paper. The novels were scattered atop a coffee table littered with copious pages of carelessly written notes and an overturned coffee mug that she hadn't even noticed spilled. A frustrated sigh escaped the blonde's lips as she squinted at the distorted text in front of her. She had been up all night, desperately trying to complete the _many _assignments Mrs. Mann had so kindly given them.

Beside her, Natsu was lazily sprawled out on the floor. After classes had ended, he begged Lucy to go on a mission with him. _To her astonishment_- after firmly being told 'no'- he snuck in through the window to continue his harassment. Despite all the whining and pleading, he didn't bother to help her with the workload and instead gutted the fridge of all its contents. Lucy glared down at him with irritation when he murmured incoherent nothings under his breath for the tenth time that night. His rosy hair was a tangled wreck and he was sprawled out on his back as if he had been knocked out during a battle. His uniform was a wrinkled disaster, and his shirt buttons weren't even in the right holes. Even so, he managed to maintain an idiotic grin throughout the entirety of the night.

"You know," Lucy exhaled deeply as she leaned against the couch with another book. "You'd be cuter if you weren't so obnoxious."

"You'd be cuter if you weren't such a weirdo." He retorted barely loud enough for her to hear. Natsu propped himself up on one elbow and wearily blinked the sleep from his eyes. He glanced over at the clock in the kitchen to see it was only five in the morning. The Salamander turned to face the window with disgust; the sky was an eerie tint of blue and frost gathered on the glass in crystallized patterns. "Damn it, I hate waking up before noon…" He fell back to the floor with a thud and tugged his scarf over his eyes.

"If you fall asleep again, I'm not waking you up." She warned him while mindlessly picking at the corner of a yellowed page. As if trying to piss her off, his snores instantly filled the air. She slammed her book shut; forcing dust to escape the bindings in a puff. Without a second thought, Lucy pelted the heavy novel at the Dragon Slayer's face.

Natsu let out a muffled grunt and tossed the object of assault to the side. "You're as mean as Erza, ya' know that?" He stumbled to his feet and made his way to the kitchen. He began to search the cupboards for something to eat, only to find that they had long since been cleared out.

"And you're as ignorant as Gray- maybe even worse." She shrugged.

Natsu knelt on the floor and waved off her comment. "Don't compare me to that nudist bastard." He rummaged through the cereal cabinet. Disappointment overcame him as he blankly stared at the one remaining box of cereal. "Geez, Luce, where'd all your food go…?" It was a known fact that the fire breather wasn't picky eater, but there was no way in hell he was going to enjoy a bowl full of stale 'Yum-O's'.

"You ate it all, remember?" Because of him and that damn Exceed, she was forced to survive off of take out and instant ramen noodles for the past month.

"I'm an honest man, Lucy Heartfilia, so believe me when I say this; I do not recall eating anything." He crossed his arms and continued to mentally burn a hole in the box with his gaze.

_Honest man, my ass. _Lucy sighed with defeat and got off the floor. She knew there was no chance in winning this conversation and tramped over to her disgruntled teammate. Natsu observed curiously as she rifled through a junk drawer. After a couple minutes of searching, she yanked out a small box and pressed it into his hands. "Here, you can use these."

He fixed his eyes on the cardboard container; it looked too small to be capable of providing a snack, let alone proper meal. "Hmm,"He sat down on the floor and observed it closer. "Matches…" Natsu sounded out the word on the box, but was clueless on how to use them. He shrugged nonchalantly and tore it open; causing multiple wooden sticks to scatter onto the tiles. He picked one up and his face filled with distaste. "How the _fuck_ do you to eat this?" Man, that box of Yum-O's was looking better and better.

"You out of all people should know what a match is, Natsu." He looked up at her and pouted like a cat having its fur brushed the wrong way. "Heck, I bet even Gray knows how to use them-"

As if on instinct to hearing his rival's name, Natsu grabbed the fire starters and stuffed them into his mouth. "Mmm…" His voice rang out with sarcasm. Lucy gaped at the boy before her, currently unsure of his mental stability. Everyone knew he was physically prone to doing idiotic things, but this was a new low. Even so, the Dragon Slayer's face beamed with victory; oblivious to the disapproving stares he was receiving.

His face paled as he chewed his breakfast. "Jeez, you look like you're on a train." He keeled over at the thought of transportation. "Oh god, don't puke on my floor!" She let out an exasperated cry and yanked on his scarf.

Natsu grasped her wrist in an attempt to regain his footing and sprang at the trash can. He barbarically ripped the lid off and threw it to the side. After spitting the matches out like a child would with broccoli, he shot Lucy an '_are you trying to kill me?' _look. "I take back what I said before; you make Erza look like a saint."

Lucy felt a slight headache coming on, and this time, it wasn't from getting wasted. She grabbed an icepack from the freezer and pressed it on her aching temple, then turned on her heels and strode to the bathroom; deciding that the previous events never happened. "Whatever, we should head out soon so we can meet up with Erza and the others before class." She called before slamming the door shut.

Natsu pulled out the Tasty O's and leisurely leaned over the counter. He munched on the cereal, and other than the disturbing chewy texture, they weren't too horrible. To most, this won't be an ideal way to wake up; having a book thrown at your head, being tricked into consuming horrid household items and resorting to out of date food for breakfast seems less than satisfactory. But, for the fire breather, this was pretty much as normal as it got.

He continued to eat his breakfast as he was consumed in his thoughts. Maybe it was just his instincts playing tricks on him, but something felt off. _Maybe today's the day I'll beat the shit out of Laxus in a one on one battle…_ Just imagining the lightening user bowing before him in defeat forced a demotic grin to stretch across his face. "Man that would hilarious!" He laughed with a mouth-full of cereal. The rosette began to pace about the living room as he strategized his attack. He was so concentrated on planning his suicide mission that he didn't notice when his stellar friend returned.

Lucy no clue what he was thinking about- which she had grown used to- but from where she was standing, he looked like he was choreographing some sort of new dance move. "That's it!" He shouted out of the blue, causing the blonde to jump back. He took another handful of cereal before continuing, slightly slurring his speech. "It's fool proof; I'll hide behind the door before class. When Laxus walks in, I'll jump out and before he knows what's happening, I'll-"

"Get slaughtered." Lucy added; her voice coated with a venomous layer of monotone.

Natsu's shoulders slumped when he looked back at his partner. "You're so mean."

"Yeah, yeah, I make Erza look like a priest-"

"Saint," He corrected.

"Whatever. Just finish getting ready so we can leave." She waved at him to hurry up.

"What're you talkin' about? I've been ready this whole time." He pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're the one who's been making us wait."

Lucy scowled at him. Not only did she want to snap his finger off like a twig, but there was no way in Earth land or Edolas she was walking to school with someone looking like _that_. "You look more dressed up after a mission than you do right now." She pointed at the obviously misplaced buttons of his shirt.

"This is why vests are better- nothin' to button or tie." He grumbled as he fixed them. "Anything else, yer majesty?" He stuffed his hands in his pockets; indicating that he wanted to leave.

Ignoring his impatience, she searched for any other possible flaws. "Brush your hair."

"What? It looks fine." Natsu whined. He was never going to ask a rhetorical question again.

Lucy let out a stifled laugh at his pathetic expression. "Are you serious? You have horrible bed head." _More like floor head. _She grasped his shirt collar and brought him to her eye level. "And your bangs are hanging in your face; usually they stand up more…" She tried to brush them back, only to have them vale over his face again.

He looked away with slight irritation. "It does that on its own; I have no say in how my hair looks."

"Hmm…" She gently ran her hands through his hair; trying not to pull too hard. But to her surprise, her fingers slid effortlessly though it. Despite its spiky nature, his hair was silky and- "Soft…" She breathed out quietly.

"Hmm?"

"N-nothing," She quickly pulled her hands away, feeling slightly embarrassed. "You've been using my shampoo, haven't you?"

"Do you seriously think I want to smell like cucumber melon?" He stood up straight and reached for the door. "C'mon."

"I think this is the first time I've ever seen you use the front door." She teased as she followed behind him.

"It's difficult to jump out of windows while eating cereal." He confessed.

"You sound like you're saying this from experience…" She locked the door behind them.

The Sky was painted a melancholy gray and fog blanketed the ground as the two walked down Strawberry Street. Lucy balanced along the river wall while Natsu put forth all of his energy to not pass out in the middle of the road. "This is so depressing." He adjusted his scarf.

Lucy peered up at the clouds. "The weather is so indecisive lately," She agreed as they continued walking. "The sky's been so bleak lately, and it's been raining on and off even since we've gotten back. It's almost like… the sky is confused..." She rambled; unaware of the confused looks she was receiving from the Dragon Slayer.

"I say Juvia is just in a pissy mood."

"Seems like she's not the only one." She grumbled and quickened her pace.

He laughed and held up his cereal box. "Eat these; they'll make you feel better."

"No way, that's disgusting! Those have been in that cabinet since before I even moved into the apartment. Hell, they're probably as old as Master."

"You could have just said no."

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

An awkward atmosphere consumed the room as the mages sat in silence and watched the intimidating redhead pace back and forth across the classroom. Her metal boots clanked angrily against the floor with each step, though no one knew why she was in her armor. Erza stopped in her tracks when the door opened to properly scold the two people who entered. "You're late."

"S...sorry," Lucy whispered and took a seat. She sat beside Cana and Lisanna, the three girls exchanging exhausted glances.

"What's this about?" Natsu flopped on the ground and crossed his arms over his chest. "I could have slept an extra hour if it weren't for you."

Gray kicked him in the back, obviously not amused that flame-brain decided to sit his ass _right_ in front of him. "If you're trying to get yourself killed, do it somewhere else." He snarled.

Natsu glared at the exhibitionist behind him and threatened to light his shoelaces on fire- except for the fact he was barefoot. "I'll die wherever I want." He snapped back. The Ice Mage gaped at his 'friend', unsure of how to respond to such a self inflicting insult.

"Be quiet." Erza warned sternly. She quickly scanned the dimly-lit room before speaking again. "By the looks of it, everyone who received my message last night is accounted for."

Gajeel leaned back nonchalantly in his chair and scowled at her. "By message, do you mean that rock with a note tied on you threw through my window while I was sleeping?"

"Yes, is there a problem with that?" Her eyes glared at the Iron Dragon Slayer irritably.

His eyebrows arched curiously. "You mean other than the fact that I have a huge-ass bruise on my head and the new window I have to pay for? Nope, everything's _fine._"

"Gajeel, knock it off." Levy tugged on his sleeve, gaining the metal-head her attention. Her lips were pursed into a small pout, and he decided it was best to stay quiet.

"That's good." She nodded; unaware of the obvious sarcasm the Dragon Slayer had just spewed. "Now, as to why you're here. You are all aware of the essay we have to write before Friday, correct?" The group let out collective groans at the mention of the project. "Good,"

Mirajane stood up and faced her Guild mates. "Erza was working with Ichiya-san and the rest of the staff last night, and they came up with an interesting idea." Erza nodded, with an approving smile painted on her lips. "Instead of only having a punishment for those who don't complete the assignment, they decided to make this more... entertaining." She smiled sweetly. "This will be a competition for the best grade."

"What?" Natsu jumped to his feet and grasped his head in horror. "There's no way in hell I'm going to win that!"

"With Natsu as a partner, I'm screwed…" Lucy sobbed, tempted to run away while everyone was distracted.

"A MAN DOESN'T NEED GOOD GRADES!" Elfman roared, knocking his chair onto the ground in the process.

"Fuck this," Gajeel made his way to the door, with Levy desperately trying to drag him back.

"SIT." She hastily drew her sword.

"A-aye!" Natsu fell back onto the floor as Gajeel grabbed the closest chair, effectively shoving Macao off his seat.

Everyone cowered behind one another as the Titania swung her weapon dangerously while she spoke. "The Council is keeping a close eye on us, so who knows what they'll do if they find out we're slacking off." They all gawked at her as she dramatically sheathed the weapon. "You're all going to participate in this, whether you like it or not."

Wendy politely raised her to attract the Knight Mage's attention. "Um… What are we going to be doing, exactly?"

"Oh, yes of course. Each class has a specific topic they must write about and is divided into groups of two. However, most of us aren't even capable of writing our own names without having to think about it," She glanced over at Natsu, coaxing the group to let out a few stifled laughs, "so instead, we will be displaying our topics rather than reading about them."

"Displaying them?" Freed questioned.

"For example, if your topic was 'Making a rune', you would demonstrate writing one, not read directions about it to us." Mira chimed in. "But don't forget, the rule about those who fail to complete the assignment attending summer sessions still applies. Understand, Freed?" Her smile morphed into something more demonic.

"Y-yes…" He grumbled; half of him wishing the barmaid hadn't been his selected partner.

"So, we have to act out our project… and if we fail to do so, we have summer school." Wakaba thought aloud. "But, what do we get if we win the highest grade?"

"Oh, I forgot!" Mira joyously clapped her hands together. "The winner, or should I say _winners_, will be given the privilege of early graduation." All the gathered mages exchanged glances before turning back the two S class members.

"In other words, you'll get out of here before everyone else and not have to do homework. Anyways, class is about to start," Erza motioned at the clock. "Make sure to practice what you'll be doing, because I don't pass people who don't take their work seriously."

"Woah, w-wait," Gray stuttered. "_You're _grading us?" She grinned wickedly, and Gray swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Don't worry- I'm sure you'll do fine!" Lisanna put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, with Juvia searing in rage behind them.

"We should go, Gray-sama." She clutched his arm and dragged him out of the room, leaving a confused Lisanna behind.

Lucy tapped Natsu's shoulder to grab his attention. "We should probably get going, too. We don't want to piss off Mrs. Mann again." He looked down at his Blonde friend for a moment, before grasping her hand and racing out of the room. Heat rose to her face when her fingers intertwined with his.

"Screw class, we're going to get a head start with our practice!" The rosette cheered as he dragged the stunned Celestial Mage down the hallway.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o

I'm finally starting to get a hang of this, and please feel free to tell me if I've made any grammatical errors. [: I never knew that there was 'manners' and 'manors' until you guys told me, lol.


	4. Chapter 4

For those who have been following this story, I apologize for taking so long. Due to difficulties with this account, I'll be transferring my story to a new one I've created. If you wish to continue reading this, my new account name is Mayhem666. Thank you. C:


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